Apparatus for making forged steel wheels



Feb. 14, 1933. I C s swANsoN ,897,645

APPARATUS FOR MAKING FORGED vSTEEL WHEELS Y Z enliow: 6 are? j jefnfsww jy @Mx Feb. 14, 1933. C. s. SWANSON y 1,897,645

APPARATUS FOR MAKING FORGED STEEL WHEELS A Filed May ll, 1931 2.Sheets-Sheet 2 f7? zen fo 7 C (07167266 j. 5cl/@725cm Patented Feb. 14, 1933 CLARENCE S. SWANSON, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS,

COMPANY, OF' CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF I ica ASSIGNOR TO STANDARD FORGINGS ILLINOIS APPARATUS FOR MAKING FORCED STEEL WHEELS Application filed May 11,

This invention relates to apparatus for making forged steel discs for vehicle wheels. In an application Serial No. 588,623, iiled January 25,v 1932, a division hereof, I have described and claimed the method of making forged-steel discs for vehicle wheels, in the practice of which the apparatus is used.

. The apparatus may be used for producing solid discs, by which I mean discs which are non-apertured between their punched out hub centers and perimeters, or mayl be used for producing discs which are apertured inwardly of the perimeter to form spokes, the spokes being connected at their outer ends by a peripheral part of the metal which may be bent to form a rim flange.

Preferably the discs produced according to the present invention consist of a hub center having parallel sides and a web portion tapering from the hub center to the perimeter ofthe disc.

The main object `of the invention is to economically produce forged steel discsv for vehicle wheels, with smooth, well finished surfaces, free from scale and irregularities.

Another object is to provide means for accurately producing any desired predetermined contour of disc or web plate, free from distortions in contour which are commonly caused by the punching and trimming of the disc following the forging step.

My method of making forged steel discs of the character described comprises forging a metal billet into its intended disc contour between a pair of forging dies; then trimming and punching the forged disc in a press; and then ironing and sizing the disc, irst on one side and then on the other, and simultaneously with the ironing step, removing the scale.

In the accompanying drawings an apparatus for carrying out the ironing and sizing step of the process has been shown, but the forging dies and the punching and cutting press have not been illustrated for the reason that these parts of the apparatus are well `known in the art.

In the drawings: v

Fig. l is a side elevation of an apparatus used in the ironingstep of my process, the

Serial N o. 536,324.

forged disc, in this view, being a solid disc,

shown in section.

4 Fig. 2 is an enlarge-d section of part of an apertured disc, showing in slightly eXaggerated form the contour of the metal, adj acent the aperture, follo and punching step.

wing the trimming Fig. 3 shows the disc of Fig.' 2 in place between the die and differing from the die o ironing rolls, the die f Fig. l in order to pleted, taken on the line Fig. 5 1s a plan view o l-l of Fig. 6. 65 f the dieused in the apparatus for ironing apertured discs.

Fig. Gis a plan view o f an apertured disc.

In carrying out my improved method of producing forged discs a heated metal billet which may be of any for vehicle wheels,

desired shape, but preferably-"is smaller in cross section and considerably thicker than the disc to be formed, is placed on top of a lower die which is rotat plane. known. The face of the mental to one side of the this instance it is provided with able in aV horizontal This part of the apparatus is well lower die is compledisc to be forged; in a. central depression, circular in shape, which is com- S0 pleinental to the hub center of the disc before the hub center is centrally punched. Outwardly of this center,

the die surface is radially inclined upwardly to conform to the taper of the disc between perimeter. Cooperating' the hub center and g5 with Jthe lower rotatable die is a reciprocating 'upper die, the

lower face of which m mental to the contour of or it may be provided forming vanes such as sh of the Jernberg April 23, 1929. In fact apparatus by which the ay also be complethe side of the disc,

with spaced, tapere0 Y own in Figs. 2 and 3 Patent No. 1,710,058 of any desired forging billet is shaped into a disc or web plate may be used for carrying out the forging step of the method.

The second step, namely, lthe triinmin g and ypunching step of the process, may be performed by. any one of a number of well known types of machines for this purpose, If a tive position,

solid disc is desired, only the hub center of the forged disc is punched out and the perim* eter is trimmed to form a true circle, but frequently portions of the disc between the hub center and perimeter are cut out to form spokes connected together at their outer ends. l

Referring to Fig. 1, after the forging and the trimming and center punching steps have been accomplished, the disc 10 is placed upon a lower die 11 which is arranged to rotate in a horizontal plane. Any conventional driving gear for rotating the die 11 may be used. The die 11 is complemental to the hub center and tapered web portion of the disc 10. Above the die 11, in a frame (not shown) is mounted a. slidable member 12 which has mounted in its face 13 a plurality of roll carriers 14 which carry shafts 15 on which are loosely mounted rotatable cone-shaped rolls 15. In the present embodiment, two rolls 15 are used. The slidable member 12 is-connected with a pressure operated cylinder (not shown) by which the rolls are raised and lowered into juxtaposition to the disc 10. A hold-down disc 16.is also mounted in the member' 12 and projects below the roll carrier 14. When the member 12 has been lowered by the pressure cylinder to its operathe hold-down disc 16 presses on the hub center of the forging 10 and its depending portion 17 fits into the center opening of the disc 10 and meets the centering projection 18 of the die 11. The rolls 15 bear on the tapered surface 19 of the forging 10 in radially extending line contact therewith. The die 11, being rotatable, moves the forging 10 relatively to the rolls 15 which are rotatable on the shafts 15, with the result that the surface 19 is ironed and rendered smooth, and irregularities in the surface and contour of the disc are corrected. After one side has been ironed and sized, the roll carrying mechanism is raised, the disc 10 is turned on its other side, the rolls lowered and the ironing operation is repeated.

When it is desired to produce an apertured disc 20, such as shown in Figs. 4 and 6, the trimming and punching step of the process is preferably performed by a machine in which the aperture cutters are so shaped that in passing downwardlythrough the metal to cut the apertures 21, a curved surface 22 will be formed adjacent each aperture 21 by means of the shape of the knife above its cutting edge. While it is possible to curve the metal surrounding the aperture margin at the upper side vof the disc 20, that is, on the side into which the cutters first enter, the cutters necessarily leave a sharp edge at the opposite side adjacent the aperture. In fact, there usually is formed a small iin or downward projection 23 adjacent the lower side of the aperture 21 and a fin 23 at the periphery, as a result of the punching and trimming operation, as will be seen by reference to Fig. 2.

In order to make the contour of the metal surrounding the apertures 21 uniform at both sides of the disc 20, and curved symmetrically, as indicated at 22 and 24 in Fig. 4, I provide means in the ironing apparatus for correcting the imperfections caused by the aperture cutting step. In Figs. 3 and 5 the die 25 used in the ironing step for treating apertured discs is provided with fixed pads 26 corresponding with the number and size of the apertures 21 in the disc 20. The pads 26 project upwardly from the face of the die 2O a distance substantially equal to one-half of the thickness of the tapered disc. The upwardly directed walls 27 of the pads 26 are curved and complemental to the curved surfaces 22 and 24 which it is desired to produce in the disc 20.

When the forged, apertured and trimmed disc 20 comes from the press, in the form shown in Fig. 2, it is placed on the die 25 with the pads 26 registering with the apertures 21. When the rolls 15 have been lowered into position adjacent the inclined surface 28 of the disc 20, the fin 23 produced by the cutting operation is pressed between the die 25 and the rolls 15 so that it assumes the desired curved form of the walls 27 of the pads 26 and thus the curved surface 24 is formed on the disc 20. The pressure on the rolls 15 is such that the disc, as a whole, is straightened and its surface 28 is ironed, whereby a smooth, polished surface, free from irregularities and imperfections of contour, is produced. However, the disc having been initially forged to desired contour and thickness, this rolling operation is not carried out under pressure suficient to distort the body of the metal, but only such pressure as will iron and smooth the surface of the disc. As heretofore stated, the ironing operation is practiced first on one side and then on the other side of the disc,and if the curved walls 22 as initially formed by the aperture cutters, are not perfect, they are made to match the walls 24 when the disc 2O is turned over for ironing on that side.

During the ironing step, water is sprayed on the rolls 15 to keep the bearings cool. The water reaches the surface of the forging which is being ironed and the scale on the forging is cracked and removed simultaneously with the ironing of the disc surfaces. A steel wire brush 29 adapted to Contact with the upper surface of the forging while it rests on the die 11 or 25 is mounted on an arm which is part of the member 14. As the forging is being rotated, the brush loosens the scale and an air current directed to the forging, carries the loosened scale off the forging and prevents it from being rolled into the surface of the disc.

Cooperating conical rolls have been used i at opposite sides of a parallel sided metal disc for the purpose of rolling it into radially tapered form, the metal body being distorted and the contour of the disc substantially altered during the rolling operation. In carrying out my invention, however, a billet is initially forged into tapered form, between a horizontally rotatable die and a vertically reciprocating die, to substantially the size and contour required, and the action of the rolls l5 is an ironing or surface finishing action, as distinguished from a metal distorting rolling action. The ironing apparatus comprises a rotatable die and conical rolls such as herein described, in which rotation of the conical rolls about the shafts 15 is produced by the frictional engagement of the rolls l5 with the upper surface of the forging which is carried by the rotatable lower die. By this construction, slipping of the rolls over the forging surface is avoided and wea-ring and pulling of the roll out of alignment are eliminated. The contact between the conical roll and the forging is a radially extending line contact. The roll is so designed that its speed of rotation is governed by the movement of the forging, and the speed is uniform, relatively to the forging, at any point along said line of contact, whether the point is nearer the hub or the periphery of the disc.

Changes may be made in details of construction without departing from the scope of my invention and I do not intend to be limited to the exact form shown and described eXceptas set forth in the appended claims.

I claim- 1. In apparatus for finishing rough forged steel discs for vehicle wheels, said discs comprising a hub center and a tapered, apertured web portion between the hub center and perimeter of the disc, mechanism for rendering the forged tapered disc smooth and for shaping the metal surrounding the apertures in the disc, said mechanism comprising a die complemental to one side of the disc and provided with upwardly projecting pads of less height than the thickness of the disc and registering with the apertures thereof, and rollers adapted to bear on the upper surface of the tapered disc for ironing the said surface and simultaneously shaping the metal surrounding the apertures on the opposite side of the disc supported upon said die.

2. In apparatus for finishing steel discs for vehicle wheels, said discs comprising a. hub center and a tapered, apertured web portion between the hub center and perimeter of the disc, mechanism for rendering the forged tapered disc smooth and for shaping the metal surrounding the apertures in the disc, said mechanism comprising a die complemental to one side of the rough forged 

